BIGGUNS #4

I NEED ANOTHER EASY ONE FOR DRAFTSMAS SO HERE'S A LONG ABANDONED BUT NOT FORGOTTEN SERIES FOR 'BIGGUNS' AKA LARGE UNWEILDY SIZED CARDS THAT ARE COOL. I HAVE A FOLDER WITH LIKE A HUNDRED SCANS IN THERE OF THESE KIND OF CARDS BUT NEVER GOT AROUND TO POSTING THEM. HERE'S A NICE ONE

2018 GYPSY QUEEN GLASSWORKS JOSE ALTUVE

SOMEONE SENT ME THIS YEARS AGO AND I HAVE COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN WHO IT WAS. I THANK THEE, UNKNOWN CARD SENDER, BECAUSE THIS CARD RULES. THE CORNERS ARE A LITTLE MOOSHED BUT WHO CARES BECAUSE THIS CARD IS SHINY AS HECK. IT REALLY DOES LOOKS KIND OF LIKE GLASS, IT'S SUPER THICK AND HAS A VERY SHINY, GLOSSY COATING OVER SOME EXTREMELY BRIGHT HOLOGRAPHIC FOIL. IT'S COMPLETELY DAZZLING AND THE SCAN CANNOT DO JUSTICE. THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST REALLY NICE JOSE ALTUVE CARDS I EVER GOT AND I THINK IT KICKED OFF ME ACTIVELY COLLECTING HIS CARDS. NORMALLY THESE KIND OF DESIGNS WHERE A THIRD OF THE CARD IS JUST WIDE OPEN SPACE FOR A LOGO OR A RELIC PIECE COMPLETELY TURN ME OFF BUT IN THIS CASE IT REALLY WORKS GREAT 

THE BACK IS LESS FANTASTIC. CAN'T COMPLAIN THOUGH, THE FRONT MAKES UP FOR IT AND INSERT BACKS USUALLY GET SHORT SHRIFT ANYWAY. IT'S A JUMBO SIZED BOX TOPPER, NO ONE PAYS ATTENTION TOTHE BACK ON THOSE. THESE AREN'T SUPER CHEAP BUT IF YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON ONE I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. EVEN IF YOU CAN'T FIND A TEAM OR PLAYER YOU LIKE IN YOUR PRICE RANGE, GO FOR A CHEAP JABRONI. YOU MIGHT FIND A NEW FAVORITE PLAYER

BIGGUNS #2 - NEWFANGLED SPORTSCASTER

NEXT UP FOR THE BIGGUNS IS ANOTHER CARD I GOT FROM DUCKS. THIS WAS IN A DOLLAR BOX, WHICH ASTOUNDED ME BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL IT WAS BUT I KNEW OF SIMILAR CARDS THAT ARE USUALLY PRICED MORE THAN A BUCK A POP. ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEONE LIKE WILT. LET US LEARN WHAT THE HELL THIS THING IS TOGETHER

1995 GROLIER STORY OF AMERICA WILT CHAMBERLAIN

LET ME START OFF THIS POST BY SAYING DEFINITIVELY THAT WILT CHAMBERLAIN IS THE GOAT. AND NOT A CHARLIE BROWN GOAT, THE KIDS' VERNACULAR GREATEST OF ALL TIME GOAT. BUT WAIT, ISN'T MICHAEL JORDAN THE GOAT? KAREEM? LEBRON? YES. THEY ARE ALL GOATS. THERE'S ENOUGH ROOM IN THIS WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS FOR PLENTY OF GOATS AND WILT IS DEFINITELY A GOAT. FORGET ABOUT THE STATS, WHICH ARE OBJECTIVELY ABSURD, AND DISREGARD ALL THE AWARDS OVER ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THAT PAGE, AND JUST LOOK AT WHAT THE MAN DID HERE. HE SCORED 100 POINTS IN A SINGLE BASKETBALL GAME ALL BY HIMSELF. IN AN ODDBALL GAME IN HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA OF ALL PLACES. WHOLE TEAMS SOMETIMES CAN'T SCORE THAT MANY POINTS IN A GAME. AND HE EMBARASSED THE NEW YORK KNICKS AT THE SAME TIME WHICH IS ALSO FUN. YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN THIS PHOTO A HUNDRED TIMES BECAUSE IT'S ONE OF THE ONLY PHOTOS OF THE GAME THAT EXISTS BECAUSE NO ONE CARED ABOUT A LATE SEASON GAME BETWEEN THE WARRIORS AND KNICKS AT A NEUTRAL VENUE IN 1962. OR BASKETBALL IN GENERAL FOR THAT MATTER

FIRST THING I THOUGHT WHEN I SAW THIS CARD WAS 'HELL YEAH, HUGE WILT CARD FOR A BUCK'. SECOND THING IS 'THIS SPORTSCASTER CARD LOOKS WEIRD'. THIS HOWEVER IS NOT A SPORTSCASTER CARD, IT'S FROM GROLIER'S STORY OF AMERICA SERIES FROM 1995. GROLIER WAS AN ENCYCLOPEDIA COMPANY THAT SOLD A LOT OF EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTS TO LIBRARIES AND SUCH AND THEY PRODUCED A FEW OF THESE CARD-BASED HISTORY SETS THAT WERE SOLD IN PACKS THROUGH A SUBSCRIPTION. I NEVER KNEW ABOUT THESE UNTIL I SAW THIS CARD AND I STILL DON'T KNOW A HECK OF A LOT ABOUT THEM, IT'S GOT AN ENORMOUS CHECKLIST WITH A LOT OF COOL CELEBRITIES MIXED IN. I DON'T KNOW OF ANYONE WHO WOULD WANT TO COLLECT THIS ENTIRE THING, BUT A COOL CARD OF CARY GRANT, OR DICK TRACY, OR THE TWILIGHT ZONE WOULD BE A NEAT FIND

BIGGUNS #1 - STATS ON THE BACK

I HAVE LITERALLY THREE SHOEBOXES* FULL OF ODDBALL GIANT SIZED CARDS I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH AND AM TOO LAZY TO TRACK DOWN PROPER SIZED PAGES SO I CAN BINDER THEM ALL. THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY SWEET STUFF IN THERE TOO, I FEEL BAD FOR NEGLECTING THEM THE WAY I HAVE. I RECENTLY WENT THROUGH ONE OF THE BOXES TO CHECK OUT MY COOL STUFF AND GOT THE IDEA TO TAKE SOME PICTURES OF THE COOLEST ONES TO SHOW OFF ON HERE AND GIVE YOU A LITTLE BREAK FROM ALL THE GOOFY STUFF I'VE BOUGHT ON COMC. THIS TOOK LONG ENOUGH THAT I HAD NO LONGER HAD TIME TO SORT TAND PUT THEM AWAY. WIN-WIN! NOW I HAVE AN ENTIRE FOLDER FULL OF COOL OLD STUFF SO OF COURSE I'M GOING TO SHOW OFF SOMETHING I JUST BOUGHT FIRST

1962 EXHIBIT LEW BURDETTE STATS ON THE BACK

EXHIBIT SUPPLY COMPANY CARDS ARE ONE OF THE BETTER KNOWN VINTAGE ODDBALLS OUT THERE. THEY WERE PRINTED FROM THE 20S TO THE 60S, ARE POSTCARD SIZED, AND ARE COMMON ENOUGH TO BE EASY TO FIND AND WEIRD ENOUGH TO BE CHEAP COMPARED TO CONTEMPORARY BASEBALL CARDS. THEY WERE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH VENDING MACHINES AND COULD BE FOUND WITH ALL KINDS OF SUBJECTS INCLUDING MOVIE STARS, BOXERS AND CELEBRITIES. THERE'S A TON OF ODD VARIATIONS (MEMORIALIZED IN THIS RIDICULOUS EARLY 00S'S LEAF INSERT). BEFORE THE AGE OF THE INTERNET IT WAS SUPER HARD TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YEAR OR SERIES ANY INDIVIDUAL CARD WAS AND SINCE THERE WERE NO COPYRIGHT YEARS, CARD NUMBERS OR EVEN TEXT ON THE BACK. THEY WERE BARELY BASEBALL CARDS AND MORE LIKE POST CARDS, ESPECIALLY WHEN SOME CARDS LITERALLY SAID POST CARD ON THE BACK. ONE SERIES WAS DIFFERENT THOUGH AND HAD STATS ON THE BACK. I HAD WANTED ONE OF THESE CARDS SINCE I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT THEM WHEN I WAS A KID, BUT THOSE WERE SCARCE AND COULD COST SEVERAL DOLLARS. I COULD BUY A WHOLE PILE OF VINTAGE COMMONS FROM THE 60S FOR THAT KIND OF MONEY SO I ALWAYS PASSED. THEN I FOUND THIS ONE AT DUCK'S DUGOUT FOR LIKE FOUR BUCKS. FOUR BUCKS IN 2023 IS WAY DIFFERENT THAN FOUR BUCKS IN 1988. PLUS IT'S A BRAVE! LET'S LOOK AT DEM STATS

WHEN THEY SAY STATS ON THE BACK, THEY MEANT IT. THIS IS A WHOLE EXCEL SPREADSHEET WORTH OF STATS INCLUDING MINOR LEAGUE TEAMS. KANSAS CITY AND SAN FRANCISCO MINOR LEAGUE TEAMS, GOTTA LOVE THE 50S. THIS CARD HAS STATS UP TO 1961, BUT THERE'S A 1963 VERSION WITH 1962 STATS. THERE'S ALSO ANOTHER VARIATION WHERE THE STATS ARE IN BLACK INK INSTEAD OF RED. IT'S ACTUALLY KIND OF NEAT HOW MANY DIFFERENT VARIATIONS THERE ARE OF THESE CARDS SINCE THEY WERE CHEAP POSTCARD SOUVENIERS INSTEAD OF AN ACTUAL TRADING CARD SET. BAD FOR SET BUILDING COMPLETIONISTS BUT GREAT FOR WEIRDOS WHO LOVE HAVING A TYPE CARD OF EVERYTHING. I BET YOU CAN GUESS WHICH CAMP I'M FALLING INTO LATELY, HUH. UNLIKE THE REST OF THOSE POOR CARDS SHOVED BACK INTO THE SHOEBOX, THIS ONE DID ACTUALLY MAKE ITS WAY INTO MY ODDBALL BRAVES BINDER. MAN, I COULD DO POSTS JUST ON THAT BINDER FOR MONTHS, BUT MAYBE I SHOULD FINISH UP ALL THE ONES IN MY DRAFT FOLDER FIRST

* ONE OF THE BOXES IS ACTUALLY FROM AN ODDBALL ELECTRONIC DEVICE BUT SHOEBOXES IS EASIER TO SAY. ODDBALLS IN AN ODDBALL BOX IS VERY APPROPRIATE